This summer-friendly diet plan gets you out of the house with nutritious foods that are quick, easy, and portable!

Make healthy choices from frozen meals, fast food, and takeout, or try some Good Housekeeping recipes that leave you with pack-and-go leftovers. Go on, get out of the kitchen!

Substitutions
You may switch ingredients in these recipes if they contain foods you dislike — just be sure you substitute foods with a similar calorie count (USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference). For example, if you don't like fish, you may substitute the same number of calories' worth of chicken; if you abhor tomatoes, you may substitute green beans. If you prefer peaches on cereal instead of strawberries, peaches are peachy with us.

A Note About Coffee and Tea
Try not to exceed three cups of (regular, caffeinated) coffee a day or four cups of (regular, caffeinated) tea. Less is even better. You don't have to limit decaffeinated coffee or tea. Keep in mind that each teaspoon of sugar is 16 calories, and each little prepackaged container of cream is 21 calories. Try switching to 1 percent milk for just 12 calories per fluid ounce (about 2 tablespoons) and limit sugar to about 2 teaspoons daily.

Monday's Menu:

Breakfast

• Cheese and Crackers

Drink a small glass (1 cup) of fat-free milk before you leave the house. Take along 3 Wasa crispbread crackers, 1 stick of string cheese, and 1 small peach. Bring water to drink in the car.

Lunch

• Pizza and Crunchy Vegetables

Have 1 slice of a large (14-inch) thin-crust pizza or 1 1/2 slices of a medium (12-inch) thin-crust pizza (250 calories). Choose plain cheese or top with any 2 vegetables of your choice (such as mushrooms, onions, or peppers). Serve with 1 cup sliced sweet red peppers and 2 plums.

Friday's Menu:

Stop and pick up a ready-to-serve box of cereal such as Cheerios, Raisin Bran, or Total. Add 8 ounces or 1 cup of fat-free milk OR a container of light yogurt, plus 1 banana.

Lunch

• Soup and Half Sandwich

At your deli or cafeteria, choose a cup of fiber-rich soup such as beef vegetable, lentil, or vegetable. Serve with half a sandwich on whole-wheat, pumpernickel, or rye bread; stuff with a deck-of-cards-size portion of roasted chicken breast, sliced turkey, ham, or lean roast beef; pile on the vegetables such as green or red peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, tomato, and onion; and spread with spicy brown mustard, horseradish sauce, or up to 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise.

Snack

• Homemade Trail Mix

Take along a bag of your homemade trail mix ().

Dinner

• At the Amusement Park or the Mall

Choose a big (about 7-inch diameter) soft pretzel (stop the server before he or she slathers on any extra buttery or sugary topping). Have a beef or chicken kabob -- about four 1 1/2-inch cubes of meat -- and a side salad with about an ice-cube-size dollop of dressing. For dessert, have the smallest-size cotton candy. OR choose 1 kid-size hamburger (topped with ketchup and mustard if desired) with 16 thin-style French fries or 8 steak-size fries. Have 1 ear plain corn on the cob or 1 side salad with an ice-cube-size dollop of dressing. For dessert, have 1 kid-size ice cream cone (the ice cream should be about 1 cup, or the size of a baseball).

Choose 1 small hotdog on a bun (pick the hotdog that's about 6 inches long and about 1 inch diameter) and top with mustard. Get 1 small bag of peanuts in the shell, have 10 shells (20 nuts), and drink 8 ounces of orange juice.

Snack

• Popcorn

Choose the smallest-size popcorn and have 2 cups of it (1 cup is about what you can hold in two hands cupped together). Bring along 1 apple or have any small whole piece of fruit at the ballpark.

Dinner

• Dinner with Friends

Choose a large chicken caesar salad, top with 2 tablespoons or an ice-cube-size amount of light dressing. Ask the server to go light on the Parmesan cheese. Most chicken caesar salads are served with about 6 ounces of roasted chicken -- save half the chicken for lunch Sunday (wrap in plastic and refrigerate immediately when you get home). Enjoy the croutons and have 1 slice of bread from the table (about the size of your palm). For dessert at home, enjoy 8 ounces lowfat yogurt topped with 5 almonds.

Sunday's Menu:

Breakfast

• Whole-Wheat Pancakes

Make enough pancake batter for nine 4-inch-diameter pancakes. Try Aunt Jemima Whole Wheat Pancake and Waffle Mix. Use fat-free milk and eggs as directed but leave out the vegetable oil. Use a heavy-bottomed griddle and spray generously with nonstick spray. Make all pancakes now, serve 3 and reserve 6 for later, or if you prefer, save the batter in a covered container in the refrigerator and grill the pancakes fresh as needed. Serve with 1 soy sausage patty (such as Morningstar Farm Breakfast Patty) and top with 3/4 cup blueberries. Serve with a small glass (1 cup) fat-free milk.

Lunch

• Picnic at the Park

Pack your small cooler for lunch. Throw 2 frozen "cool packs" in the bottom and 2 on top after packing lunch and snack. Open one 6 1/2-inch whole-wheat pita. Stuff with 2 ounces roasted chicken breast from Saturday's dinner, 1/2 cup thinly sliced red pepper, 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise, and 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Slice half a medium cucumber and serve with 2 tablespoons hummus for dipping. Serve with 17 green or red grapes. Take along a bottle of flavored (calorie-free) sparkling water for a special touch.